Objective: The aim of this research was to examine the frequency of the incidence of suicidality in patients with schizophrenia that were hospitalised in the Psychiatric Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Centre Osijek from 2010 to 2015, and to determine whether there is a significant relationship between suicidality and parameters collected in the research.
Organization of study: Retrospective cohort study.
Respondents and methods: 380 schizophrenic patients hospitalised in the Psychiatric Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Centre Osijek in the period from 2010 to 2015 were respondents of this research. Data were collected from the medical histories of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. To collect data, we used a questionnaire drafted for the purpose of this research with the following information: age, gender, employment status, marital status, qualifications, number of children, medications used to treat schizophrenia, the existence of suicide attempts or repeated suicide attempts, the way in which the suicide was attempted, comorbidity, age when the treatment started, number of hospitalisations and treatment duration in years.
Results: Of the total number of respondents, 48 (12.6%) attempted suicide, and 15 respondents repeated suicide attempt. In the observed period, the highest number of suicide attempts was in 2011 (18.87%), and the lowest (6.90%) in 2014. Single respondents were more likely to attempt suicide (p = 0.020), as well as respondents who were treated with flurazepam (p = 0.047) and nitrazepam (p = 0.028). Number of hospitalisations positively correlated with suicide attempt (R = 0.182) and repeated suicide attempt (R = 0.178), as well as bipolar affective disorder (R = 0.135) and borderline personality disorder (R = 0.191) with suicide attempt.
Conclusion: Suicidal behaviour patterns in schizophrenic patients are not common. The strongest correlation was found between borderline personality disorder and suicidal behaviour.